DeSoto ISD is strengthening its commitment to prioritizing the social and emotional wellness of its entire school community by creating another avenue to access essential strategies and programs.
Beginning in September, the DeSoto ISD Counseling and Social-Emotional-Learning (SEL) Guidance team will offer monthly Mindfulness social-emotion-learning strategies to the students, staff parents, and & community
DeSoto ISD Director of Counseling and SEL Guidance Kareeme Hawkins expressed the necessity of taking the time to create a consistent practice around mindfulness.
“The goal for Mindful Mondays in DeSoto ISD is to encourage SEL engagement among students, staff, and community members while learning healthy strategies to reduce stress and anxiety,” said Hawkins.” It is important for our school community right now to practice mindfulness because being mindful is a skill to improve self-awareness.
With multiple layers and categories of stress factors present in school systems and society, Hawkins spoke on the importance of actively and properly using this skill.
“Self-Awareness is an SEL component of being able to identify and name what we are feeling. Being able to identify our emotions is imperative in regulating them and cultivating genuine relationships,” she explained. “It allows us to focus our attention and observe our thoughts.”
Hawkins hopes that this additional layer of addressing social-emotional learning will offer all members of our school community to gain new ways to address, measure, and monitor their personal wellness.
“We can’t continue to fill the emotional buckets of others if we are empty. Practicing mindfulness is a way for us to refuel and recharge our emotional station.”
The Counseling and SEL Guidance team encourages all members of the school community to participate in these activities and share their experiences with social media.
The Mindful Mondays strategies are intentionally simple and interactive to allow participation for all stakeholders, including staff, parents, and students regardless of age.
Mindful Mondays participants can participate privately. However, in order to be placed in the drawing for the monthly gift, participates are asked to take a picture, share, and tag the DeSoto ISD Counselors Twitter (@counselorsdeisd) and Instagram (@yourfavoritecounselors) social media accounts to be eligible. Each tag will be added to the drawing, and participants will be contacted by our department.